Arnold & Son unveils Luna Magna Platinum Moonlight Chiaroscuro

Press release

October 2021

Against the grandeur of an aventurine crystal sky, the Luna Magna Platinum is revealed through select materials. The large three-dimensional moon is composed of blue aventurine and grey marble, while the time is read on a mother-of-pearl dial. The 950 platinum case completes the piece, showcasing a changing play of light that enlivens the dial and lunar sphere.

Arnold & Son unveils Luna Magna Platinum Moonlight Chiaroscuro

Press release

October 2021

Arnold & Son unveils Luna Magna Platinum Moonlight Chiaroscuro

he moon waxes, wanes, disappears, and once again returns to light up the sky. Luna Magna, the largest and most spectacular of all moons in watchmaking, begins a new cycle within its fully polished 950 platinum case with white mother-of-pearl hour and minute sub-dial in a satin-brushed ring, and ever-changing reflections.

Centred on the moon theme so dear to Arnold & Son, Luna Magna Platinum is a limited series of only twenty-eight pieces. The smooth, understated shine and weight of the platinum give the piece a certain majesty. Set in aventurine crystal, the metallic crystals bring the dial to life with their brilliance. Half of the 12 mm three-dimensional moon is made of grey marble and the other half of aventurine crystal, reflecting the moon’s dual nature. Guided by an exclusive moon-phase complication, this chiaroscuro, this movement of the light, make the Luna Magna Platinum a living, ever-changing, fleeting yet everlasting timepiece.

The hours and minutes are displayed on the graduated dial with twelve Roman numerals bearing the Arnold & Son signature. This eccentric disc owes its luminosity to the slightly iridescent white mother-of-pearl, imparting a delicate quality that matches the elegant complication of the Luna Magna Platinum.

Luna Magna Platinum is based on the A&S1021 calibre, which has been fully developed and then assembled and adjusted in Switzerland. Designed around the lunar globe, the movement is hand-wound and features a 90-hour power reserve and regulating mechanism set at 3 Hz. On the back is a secondary display, with clearly legible lunations for fine adjustments.

The celestial mechanism also owes its sophisticated design to the fidelity in its astronomical accuracy. The duration of a complete lunar cycle is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds. Arnold & Son have succeeded in approximating this cycle such that, if the watch was never stopped, it would take 122 years for the moon-phase display to accumulate a day’s discrepancy from the correct phase. And the correction is easy, since Luna Magna Platinum’s lunar function is accessible directly from the crown. A practical solution made possible by Arnold & Son’s total mastery of the watchmaking process.